Spade



F. B. CURRIER.

. SPADE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1920.

Patented Man 28, 1922.

A TTORIE Y8 WITNESSES porate certain construction permitting of' the cutting and removing of the sod. in a 1 smum,

To (4U whom it may concern.

Be it h own thatv I, FRA K B. Generics, a,

citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State ofNew, Jersey,.h a ve invented a ,new and Improved Spade, ofwhic h the following isa fu ll," clear, and exact: description. i In connection with spades, and morepan ticularlythat type of spade used .in connection with handling salt marsh sod, it is appreciated that it hasbeen extremely clifficult to'properly handle thesame in view of the extreme cumbersome nature of spades heretofore constructed for this purpose.

Another defect has been-experienced due to the unusual heavy work to which this type of tool is subjected, in that theparts quickly become loosened, which has resulted in the spade become useless.

lVith this in mind, I have constructed a spade which shall be extremely rigid in construction, so that no play will exist between the parts insuring a long life to the tool.

A further'object of my inventionisthe construction of a spade of this type which shall weigh but a fraction of the weight of the tools heretofore usedfor this purpose, and by means of which it willconsequently bepossible to ,handle the same with far greater ease and rapidity than has been the practice heretofore.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a spade which shall incorfar more eflicient manner than has been possible with spades formerlyintended for thispurpose.

Reference is had to the attached sheet of drawings as illustrating one practical embodiment of'my invention, and in which 7 desired, the fulcrum plate 18 isconvenientlv drawings,

I ing my device inuuse.

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a spade constructed in accordance with my inve ntion, and taken along the l1nes 1 1 of ure 2. a

Figure 2 18 a front v ew thereof. Figure 3 1s a fragmentary side view show- T e along lines" 5+5 of F igure2.

Inthese views the referencenunieral 10 indicates the scoop or blade portion of the spade, which is folded along lines 11 to formside walls 12. v devices of this characterj the as come into b'eingbetween the .zspeeificationiof Letters "Patentedduar, .28 .1922 v f Appljcationifiled ma 19gb. semrn 379,027. A A

ure5 is an enlarged side view taken elementsiorming the handle, and with "a view of overcoming this'objection, I conveniently form my handle of two pairs'of bars 13 and 14 respectively, which are, as has been indicated in Figure 5 preferably .tubular to eliminate surplus weight, andto generally strengthen this part of the tool.

The lower ends of the parts have been flattenedpas has been shown, and for a pur pose hereinafter more fully specified, the- ,ends of' the bars'13 conveniently lie flush against the under face of the scoop .or blade portion, the flattened ends of the bars/14 bearing against the inner faces of the side walls 12 and being secured in this position preferably by rivets 15.

Ad'acent their lower ends the pairs of bars 13 and 14 are connected to one another by suitable cross'braces 16, their upper ends extending beyond thispoint, merging together and terminating in line with one another, as has been shown in Figures 1 and 2, a'suitable type of hand grip 17 being interposed between the upper ends of these bars. Y

A fulcrum plate 18, conveniently extends along the under side of the bars 13 terminating at a point beyond the upper edge of the spade or blade portion 10; rivets such as 19 conveniently passing through the lower ends of the bars 13, plate and blade portions to retain these parts in proper position. Now with a view of obtaining the rigidity spot welded to the undersides of the bars '13, spot welding also being resorted to be- It will now be understood that the spade is inserted'intothe marsh turf in the manner shown in Figure 3, and with a view of providing means which will permit the laborer to feel when the spade has been buried to its vextreme depth, 1t will be noted that the I plate 18 is formed with an extended portion art of the war 20' conforming to the inclined 7 bars 13adjacent their point of atteningj It will be obvious that the blade, as has been illustrated in Figure 3, upon reaching its full depth will offer increased resistance upon the extended portion 20 of the'f-ulcrum plate 18 coming into 'engagement with'the upper surface of the turf,'and the laborer 111. become instantly cognizant'of this fact so that it will be only necessary forhim-to throw his weight away from theha-n'dle of the spade, which will cause the blade ofthe same to move upwardly by virtue of ful-' crum bearing afforded by the plate 18, so that a great'amountof sod may be removed upon each stroke.

" It is obvious that numerous modifications of structure might be. resorted to, and that spot welding may conveniently be adapted atany point of connection desired.

" WhatI claim as new is:+. 7 c

- In a "spade of the character described, a scoo having a base. portion and an upplate being provided with a' "shoulder adjacent the lower end thereof to Warn the operator when the scoop has enteredthe sod its full length;

inclined flange on each side thereof, v r

c Ward the other, a bar secured to each flange i CURRiER. 1 

